These days, tourism in Iraq is a matter of faith. Literally. Five years after the U.S. invasion, nearly all its tourists are Shiite pilgrims from Iran flocking to holy sites. In contrast, the Iraq Tourism Board has no offices in the USA and no immediate plans to woo intrepid Westerners.

About 1,000 Iraqi families who fled their violent neighborhoods have returned home under a fledgling initiative of the new Iraq security plan. A government program offers each returning family about $750, along with fuel, food and promises of improved security, said Brig. Gen. Qassim al-Mousawi.

Baghdad's streets were electric with tension Wednesday as U.S. officials confirmed the new security operation was underway. U.S. armor rushed through streets, and Iraqi armored personnel carriers guarded bridges and major intersections.

Baghdad's streets were electric with tension Wednesday as U.S. officials confirmed the new security operation was underway. U.S. armor rushed through streets, and Iraqi armored personnel carriers guarded bridges and major intersections.

The intimate portrayal of a sergeant's death during Army efforts to clear a Baghdad neighborhood has caused friction between the military and The New York Times, while sparking larger questions about war coverage and media-military relations.

The body of a well-known Shiite boxer was found in central Baghdad Friday near the dangerous street where he was kidnapped several days ago, police said. Hassan Hadi, 42 and the father of two children, was hanged to death, police said.

Four of the five Americans killed when a U.S. security company's helicopter crashed in a dangerous Sunni neighborhood in central Baghdad were shot execution style in the back of the head, Iraqi and U.S. officials said Wednesday.

U.S. and Iraqi troops clashed with gunmen in a Sunni insurgent stronghold north of the heavily fortified Green Zone on Wednesday, and officials said at least one civilian was killed and nine suspected insurgents were captured in the fighting.